Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Not Rising

Our answer

Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (from FEAST) is a popular chocolate sponge with a chocolate and sour cream frosting. The cake is also the January 2020 COOKALONG recipe. The cake should rise normally and as there is not a particularly thick layer of batter in the pan before baking, each sponge layer having a depth of around 1 inch (2.5cm) after baking sounds roughly correct. However if the cake layers are skinny it is likely to be due to one of two factors. Firstly make sure that the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) are both well within their "best before" dates, as they will become less active over time and can deteriorate more quickly in humid environments. Secondly make sure that the butter, sour cream and eggs are at room temperature as if they are cold then they will not emulsify properly when you mix the cake batter and this can affect the cake. Also if you are switching the cakes around during the cooking time then do this carefully as if they are shaken around or get a blast of cold air when the oven door is opened or closed then this can also make them sink.

If the cake is dry then it is likely that it has been baked for too long. Ovens vary, hence we have given a warning that you may need to check the cakes after 25 minutes of baking time. The cakes should be risen, slightly shrinking away from the sides of the tin and a cake tester inserted into the centres should come out clean. Remove the cake layers from the oven as soon as they reach this point.